Bless the hearer of your words

Yesterday we shared our gratitude list...counting to our one thousand gifts. Today is Tuesday, which means we will talk about our "words" and how we use them.

Our words, our utterances, are used to convey messages in our spoken or written language. For example: the Word of God. God's written Word. His language to mankind conveys various messages some being:

How the world & its contents came about

What His plan was & is for us

How we're to live

The consequences of living or not living as He wants and so forth

In His written Word we learn that "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." ~ Proverbs 15:1

In my personal experiences I've seen arguments dissipate right in front of me when I chose to speak gentle words and use a gentle manner. However, I've also seen the opposite happen when I chose harsher words.

I purposely say, "chose" because our word choice is simply that: our choice. We can either choose gentle or we can chose harsh.

As parents, our word choice is paramount, Elisabeth Elliot taught me many years ago to train my children to obey me the first time I instruct them, instead of training them to react to my yelling, threats and rants. This made for happier children and mother. It also made all of us much calmer and less frustrated. Of course, this is not orchestrated perfectly at all times, but it is a lifestyle that I continue to practice. I've learned to quickly and quietly pause before I instruct them in order to gauge where I am in my emotional state, especially if I'm tired. Like you, I want my words (and actions) to be words of life to my children.

The words we speak can bring an inward calmness to someone that reflects in their outwardly behavior. Choosing our words to reflect and edify Christ and the receiver of the spoken (or written) words is a choice that we make like most things in life. Sure at times, in the heat of the moment, we can temporarily give into our emotions and speak harsh utterances, but let's all strive to make those instances few and far in between.

Let's strive to make our words be a gift to the hearer.

Let's purpose in our hearts, today, to speak life in the people who hear us, our read or written language.

Let's also speak words of life to ourselves. Sometimes we can have a tendency to be too harsh and down on ourselves, so make it a priority to speak loving words to yourself. Bless yourself, the hearer, with your gift of words starting today!